The Idaho Botanical Garden hosts many family-friendly events throughout the year. So, no matter what season you visit Boise there will likely be an event for your family to experience. Here are our favorite Idaho Botanical Garden events:
- Winter Garden aGlow (Thanksgiving – NYE)
- Great Garden Escape Concert Series (Thursday evenings in the summer)
- Fall Harvest at the Garden (Saturdays in October)
- Bug Day (usually in August)
Winter Garden aGlow
It doesn’t feel like Christmas until our family visits the Idaho Botanical Garden in the winter. The Winter Garden aGlow is magical with over 500,000 lights strung throughout. This is a popular event, so make sure to reserve your 1-hour timeslot well in advance. It typically takes us about 30 minutes to walk through everything, but if you want to enjoy a snack or drink by a firepit, then you’ll likely utilize the full hour.
Make sure to dress warm and wear comfortable shoes since you’ll be walking the entire time. You can bring your warm drinks or purchase something there. On Friday and Saturdays, they sell adult beverages and offer more concessions.
Great Garden Escape Concert Series
If you are visiting Boise during the summer or early fall, then make sure to attend a Thursday evening concert. Bring your blankets, low-back chairs, and picnic, and you’ll have everything you need to enjoy a wonderful evening. We always try to get there a little early to make sure we can grab a good spot and get settled before the concert begins.
Kids love being able to picnic, dance, play in the garden, see the large koi pond, play in the sandbox area, and go into the treehouse. You can’t bring in your own alcohol, but there are local vendors on-site, along with concessions and ice cream for the whole family, if you don’t want to bring your own food.
The concerts feature local and regional bands and performers who always put on a great show. But the best part is just being able to enjoy outdoor music with the beautiful Boise foothills in the background.
Fall Harvest at the Garden
Each Saturday throughout October the Idaho Botanical Garden hosts the Fall Harvest. There is live music throughout the day, local beer and wine, food trucks, and plenty of activities for kids throughout the garden. Whether you want to spread out and listen to music, grab a bite to eat, pick out your pumpkin at the pumpkin patch, walk through the corn maze, or view the scarecrows, there is something for everyone at the Fall Harvest.
If you can’t make it on a Saturday, you can still visit the Botanical Garden and experience the Scarecrow Stroll where community organizations and members create a scarecrow to be displayed throughout the garden. You won’t have live music, food trucks, and other activities, but with the fall weather and beautiful foothills in the background, it will be still enjoyable.
Bug Day
Spiders, bees, beetles, and ladybugs are just some of the bugs that kids will get to interact with at the Idaho Botanical Garden Bug Day. With activities and stations located throughout the garden, it is an event that is both fun and educational. Kids get the chance to learn about bugs, see some unique bugs, drink “beetle juice,” release ladybugs, do crafts, and so much more!
